Set in a nursing home, this novel presents a unique exploration of old age through eight distinct monologues, each revealing the perspectives of elderly residents. Stripped of sentimentality, it employs bizarre language and humor to delve into the complexities of failing minds. With inventive storytelling and escalating absurdity, it captures the nuances of aging with compassion and precision, making it a remarkable study of life in later years.
Albert Angelo is by vocation an architect and only by economic necessity working as a substitute teacher. He had thought he was, if not dedicated, at least competent. But now, on temporary assignments in schools located in the tough neighborhoods of London, Albert feels ineffectual. He is failing as a teacher and failing to fulfill himself as an architect. And then, too, he is pained by the memory of a failed love affair.
Trawl, Albert Angelo, House Mother Normal
This collection contains B.S. Johnson's critically acclaimed novels - "Alberto Angelo", "Trawl" and "House Mother Normal - A Geriatric Comedy".
In his heyday, during the 1960s and early 1970s, B. S. Johnson was one of the best-known novelists in Britain. A passionate advocate for the avant-garde in both literature and film, he became famous for his forthright views on the future of the novel and for his unique ways of putting them into practice. Reissued as standalone books for the first time in many years, these are B. S. Johnson's most famous and critically acclaimed novels.